Testimonials for James Backhouse Upholstery

Here’s what customers say about James Backhouse Upholstery: this will give you an idea of the quality of the workmanship you can expect from JBU:​

"James' attention to detail is second-to-none"

"A few months ago my wife and I decided that we wanted to re-upholster our antique lounge suite and give it a new lease on life. As this furniture has been in my family for over 45 years, it was important to us to find someone who had the expertise to carefully restore it back to its original beauty.

We choose James Backhouse to do the re-upholstering work and we did not regret it. We were very happy with James' service. He gave us options and prices on different cushions and fabrics and listened to our ideas on the look we wanted to achieve. The end result exceeded our expectations. James attention to detail is second-to-none and the upholstery has been beautifully finished. We are delighted with the outcome.

We get positive comments all the time on our lovely old furniture and we strongly recommend using James on any upholstery projects you have."

- Stefan and Tjitske Timmermans, Huapai, Auckland - June 2017

"the pieces look unique, modern and classy"

"James Backhouse, owner of JBU Ltd, has upholstered many pieces of old furniture at my request. The end result was nothing short of marvellous. One piece, a Chaise Lounge, which my grandmother gifted to me more than 30 years ago, has gone from looking like a sad old piece, to a classy, upmarket, modern upper class piece of "nothing but the best" superb-looking furniture.

In regard to making customised new furniture, once again fantastic results. The pieces are unique, modern, classy and "must have been bought from only the very best" kind of look. Thank you so much, James."

- Claire Jackson, RamaRama, Red Beach, Queenstown – December 2015

"I wasn’t sure if it was worth reupholstering the chair - but now it looks a million dollars"

"I inherited a chair that dates back to the 1800s, and it was looking pretty sad. It didn’t help that it had been in storage and borer had badly attacked the woodwork. I wasn’t sure if it was even worth restoring and upholstering the chair.

I decided to give the chair a chance and James organised the re-vamp for me. A colleague of his restored the wood, while James worked magic on the upholstery. He even sent me progress photos of the original horsehair after he’d washed and combed it – his attention to detail was amazing. I learned that with upholstery it’s not just about choosing a nice new fabric, but also the quality of the workmanship that’s hidden underneath the fabric.

James also made some cushions for me and they are beautifully made, with the fabric inside overlocked.

James’ upholstery work has provided me with a family heirloom that I’m now proud of and can enjoy: it looks a million dollars - I’m absolutely thrilled.

I’d definitely recommend James Backhouse Upholstery to anyone wanting to give their furniture a new lease of life, and who appreciates quality workmanship."

- Cornelia Luethi, Kerikeri - November 2015

The picture shows the upholstery process of an 1800s chair. The wood was restored and the original horse hair was washed and brushed. A fresh, new fabric gives the chair a more contemporary look - and JBU Ltd also made matching cushions.

​"restored a much-loved chair to better than new"

"Thank you so much for the wonderful reupholster of my armchair. It was so worn, squeaky and water damaged that I thought it was time to let it go, but you have managed to restore a much-loved chair to better than new.

The chair was the only remaining piece of furniture from the early years of my marriage, and now I not only appreciate a sense of continuity, but also enjoy the transformation that makes the chair fit with a more up-to-date decor."